July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; World pitcher Yordano Ventura throws a pitch during the first inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, at this point we all know Ventura, the short, wiry fireballer who landed in the Royals top five prospects this offseason. He’s been making a steady ascent through the Royals minor leagues starting with a successful 2010 where he struck out more than a quarter of the batters he faced in Rookie ball as a 19-year-old, then a thoroughly dominant turn at Wilmington to start last year that landed him in Double A by season’s end.

He had an impressive spring training where he struck out seven batters in 11.2 innings, walking just two, and the Royals sang his praises throughout. That success has carried over into 2013′s Double A season where he’s racked up 29.1 innings for Northwest Arkansas with 43 strikeouts (13.2 K/9). Even better, he’s only walked 11 batters. He’s given up one homer in a power-friendly Texas League.

Coming into the season, there were questions about if he could be a starter or if he’d be relegated to the bullpen. The Royals want to keep him lined up as a starter until he shows that he can’t cut it there, which is a good approach. Ventura’s biggest weapon is his fastball, which he can dial up to triple digits deep into games – Baseball Prospectus named it the best fastball in the minors before the season started. He gets tremendous arm speed with his delivery despite his small stature. He’s put on some weight so the 5’11″ 140 pounds he was listed at in 2010 isn’t quite so alarming. He’s not the prototypical starter, but many scouts and analysts are starting to believe he could handle the workload.

His curveball is developing into a huge pitch for him as well. The fastball/curveball combination would be lethal if he were to end up in the back end of a bullpen, but he’s making strides towards average in a recent start, according to a Jason Parks scouting report.

If both secondary pitches develop, he could have a brutal curveball as another out pitch along with a good enough changeup to prevent anyone from sitting on his two primary offerings. To me, a starter really has to have at least three regular pitches, to get through lineups and as an alternative if his best stuff isn’t there with a key pitch.

He will have to prove that he can handle the workload. His career high in innings was last year when he reached 109.1. Obviously, he’ll need to increase that at some point if he were to be taken seriously as a starting candidate. And then he’ll have to continue to maintain a heavy workload to where he’ll be able to make 30 starts on a big league roster. His stuff is so electric that it’s tempting to let him settle into a bullpen role, but if he can still get the same dominance from his pitches with more work, 180 innings is more valuable than 70.

So far, he hasn’t been pushed too hard in the early days of the season. Monday’s start was the highest pitch count he’d reached in 2013 when he hit 98 pitches. To an extent he may always have higher pitch counts. Strikeout pitchers tend to use up more pitches because they’re trying to miss bats and their stuff is good enough to miss bats. But he’ll also give up less fluke hits that happen to find a whole since less balls will end up in play. It’s rare for a batter to score on a strikeout, but they can score after reaching from a seeing eye single on a perfect pitch they happened to get in the right spot.

That being said, Ventura’s averaging 17.18 pitches per inning this year, which is still on the high end, but one or two more efficient starts can settle that number down.

Right now, Ventura is overmatching the Texas League. By the end of the month, he could easily be pushing the Royals to give him a look in Omaha to see if his dominance continues. He’s showing right now that he’s ready for the tryout.

Only 303 seasons come back from Baseball-Reference (BR) if you look at pitcher seasons from 1901 to 2013 where a starter went 150 innings or more at a weight at or below 160 pounds.  How accurate the weight of the pitchers is, especially going back that far, is highly questionable, but that shows just how rare small starters are.  It has become even rare over time, and only 6 of those seasons have happened from 2000 until now, or only once every couple of years.

Last year 99 starting pitchers went 150+ innings according to BR.  The average weight of these 99 was 216.5 pounds, and the smallest was Tim Lincecum at 170 pounds.  In the current era starting pitchers are big.  Tall tends to be related to velocity, and big is associated with durability.  That has made projections of Ventura ending up in the bullpen fairly common.  Can the Royals really expect to start this youngster in the bigs, or is he just too little?

The good news is that Yordano does not seem to be as small this year.  I had heard reports that he had gained some weight, and now Fangraphs and BR have him listed at 178 and 180 pounds respectively.  Other places still have him significantly below this (Scoutingbook.com at 150), but it looks like he has gained something.  If it was 40 pounds it raises fitness questions that I would love someone who can get to a minor league game of his to answer (or it raises PED questions in this day and age).  That amount would take him out of small, and quickly into a weight range that is appropriate for a 5’11’’ frame.  His velocity is still huge, and reports of 102 MPH were given during the spring.  Yes, this would still put Yordano significantly below average for a starter as far as weight goes, but there are several sub-200 pound starters that have had success recently such as the aforementioned Lincecum, Wandy Rodriguez, and Cole Hamels.

If true, this weight gain should raise Yordano’s stock as a prospect.  Being able to start instead of relieve would be a huge boon to his overall value.  How quickly he can move to Omaha and start knocking on the door remains to be seen, but I would love to see a power arm like that in this rotation in the next couple of years.

Is Smith the man for the job? Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

You’d think the battle for the fifth rotation spot just got a little more clear, but no, not just yet. As we all know, Luke Hochevar, banished to the bullpen, is out of a three-horse race that should be down to just two, but instead, there are four? It was my understanding there would be no math…

We already knew about Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza, but since I last broached the subject, Will Smith has continued pitching brilliantly in Surprise, and according to reports, top prospect Yordano Ventura may be in the mix.

Even with Hochevar involved, I thought this battle was a coin toss between Mendoza and Chen, with a possible nod to Chen (being a veteran and a lefty), but now…I’m wondering why not Smith? This spring, Smith has made three appearances for a total of 7 innings pitched. In that small sample size, he’s mowed down 8 batters and walked only 1. He’s only allowed 2 hits as well, which all adds up to a 0.429 WHIP and 1.29 ERA. Going back to the Baseball Reference “Quality of Opposition” tool once again, Smith’s number is at a 9.5 of a possible 10…meaning he’s gone up against some pretty damn good hitters.

I thought Chen’s throwing arm would be a big plus…being the sole lefty candidate in the battle, but Smith being a southpaw negates that advantage. With the Royals trying to win this year, they no longer need to go with a stopgap, a tag you could slap on either hurler (Smith as the young unproven pitcher, Chen in the role of “over the hill” veteran). Smith is 13 years younger than Chen and still on his way up (hopefully). He’s more of an unknown, sure, but with a world of untapped potential. Chen, on the other hand, is past his prime. We know what Chen is capable of.

For the record, Chen currently sits at 8.2 IP, 7 hits, 2 BB, 8 K, and 6 earned runs. His WHIP isn’t bad at 1.038, but his 6.23 ERA fails to impress. His quality of opposition also sits about a full point below Smith’s at just 8.6. That means Chen is getting lit up by a mix of AAA and lower end big league talent for the most part.

What of right-hander Luis Mendoza? I previously stated he should probably be the front-runner in this battle. He’s gone just 6 innings with the Royals this spring (thanks to the World Baseball Classic) but has looked sharp. He’s given up 6 hits and 1 walk, struck out 4, and given up just 1 earned run for a 1.167 WHIP and 1.50 ERA. With Mexico, Mendoza only logged a couple of innings, but got knocked around a bit, giving up 2 BB and 3 hits for a 2.50 WHIP, although he posted an ERA of zero.

Going by the stats this spring, it looks to be a race between Mendoza and Smith…but they say numbers don’t necessarily win these battles, so Chen is definitely still in the mix. And then, there’s the wild card. Yordano Ventura?

I personally don’t think there is a chance “Ace” Ventura vaults all the way from AA past this trio, but stranger things have happened. Reports say he’s in the mix, and will receive more innings as a starter now that Luke is in the pen. So let’s take a look at his spring stats.

The first thing that jumps out at me? Ventura’s quality of opposition is a 9.6 – a notch above Smith. But how is the young phenom, who only has 29.1 innings above A ball, performing against such stiff competition? Well…he’s doing a stellar job, actually. In his 8.2 innings, he has allowed 4 hits and 2 BB (0.692 WHIP), and has struck out 6 batters. Ventura has allowed 2 earned runs, giving him a 2.08 ERA.

Oh, and he pitched so well the other day, the home plate umpire couldn’t even believe it.

Is flame throwing Yordano Ventura really in the mix?. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

What does all this add up to? Does he have a chance? Again…I doubt it, but I don’t think he could pitch any better than he has this spring. With hardly any time at AA last year, I think Ventura is headed north, to Omaha (at least for now). It certainly gives us all something to be hopeful about, though, and he could be called up sooner rather than later, depending on how things go with the other candidates. One thing is certain – his stuff is filthy, and that fastball will be hard to keep off the roster for too much longer.

So…when you add it all up, where do we stand? I’d like to see Mendoza get his shot. He had a great second half of 2012, pitched great winter ball, and is throwing great again in Arizona. I still think Yost could lean towards Chen or Smith based on wanting a lefty, and if that’s the case I am rooting for Smith. He’s young and hungry and pitching better than any other person we’ve discussed here. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He stinks it up for a few starts and gets replaced by one of the other guys?

The Royals have to go with their best five, no doubt. No more throwing the young guy out there for the hell of it or going with a veteran placeholder. The team wants to compete right now. And right now, Smith might be the best guy for the job. Will he be that guy that guy two weeks – or two months – from now? We’ll find out soon enough.

And now the Royals have requested his outright release.

By releasing Moscoso, the Royals have 39 men on the 40 man roster. Speculation is that Miguel Tejada will be added, but that’s merely speculation. He’s expected to make the team and needs to be added to the 40 man roster at some point if that’s the case, so that makes sense.

The more wild – and more fun – scenario is based off of the Royals shuffling of players within camp. Wade Davis will make a start on Friday, but it will be in a minor league game, according to the Royals (James Shields will be doing the same on Sunday). Yordano Ventura is getting another start on Friday but in a big league game.

It’s highly unlikely that the Royals would add Ventura, but it’s fun to speculate. He’s thrown well in spring training so far against mostly major league hitters, but adding him now would also burn an option year if he didn’t make the opening day roster. Considering he’s only thrown six times in Double A, I’d guess the highest level he starts out of spring training would be Triple A and still think that’s not very likely. But, again, it’s fun to dream about.

If the Royals were desperate to open up a spot for anybody, Danny Duffy is still listed on the 40 man roster. With no return in line until June at the earliest, they can add him to the 60 day disabled list to open a spot, as they did when they moved Felipe Paulino after acquiring Elliot Johnson.

July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; World pitcher Yordano Ventura throws a pitch during the first inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

But some of the fun of spring training is seeing the players who are just getting a look, even if it’s understood that they’ll end up in minor league camp when it’s all over. Today’s fun young player is Yordano Ventura.

We’ve mentioned Ventura enough here and he’s landed in many top 100 overall prospect rankings over the last few months. By now, he should be well-known among most Royals fans who pay even slight attention to the minor leagues. The Royals hinted that they hoped he could reach the majors in 2013, even if just in September. It seemed ambitious considering Ventura had only made six starts at Double A last year.

This spring, though, he’s showing the Royals that it might not be a crazy idea after all. On Saturday, Ventura stepped in for Wade Davis and threw three innings, striking out three and giving up no hits. He did walk two, but he was impressive according to those in attendance. He’s got the upper-90s fastball of course, but his offspeed pitches are developing as well.

Through three games this spring, Ventura has thrown 8.2 innings, struck out six and the two walks from yesterday are the only he’s surrendered. The one blemish on his line is the two-run homer he gave up to Nelson Cruz in the Royals first spring game. After Saturday’s game, Ned Yost raved about Ventura to the point that he couldn’t bring him up without chuckling a little bit. The home plate umpire apparently called him “some kind of nasty”. Ventura’s fastball has averaged 99 mph in games when the stadium has Pitch f/x installed (not all spring stadiums do so there isn’t data every time on pitch counts or average velocity). He’s also got a good changeup and curveball. Giants manager said he had the best arm his team had seen this spring.

He’s in line to start back in Double A, according to J.J. Picollo, but there’s a chance that he could get to Triple A instead to start the year, or at least very quickly into 2013. There seem to have been some sort of discussion about moving him through more quickly. Then there’s the consideration his role – will he start or relieve? He’s a better prospect as a starter but could probably move up the ladder faster as a reliever. Patience, in this case, is the right way to go. Let him fail as a starter before moving him to the bullpen, I say. Ideally, then, he doesn’t fail as a starter. They say he’s put on some weight and seem to believe that he’ll be able to hold up as a starter.

What’s most impressive about his spring run so far, though, is that he’s done so against true competition. I brought up Baseball-Reference’s Opposition Quality and how it relates to spring stats. Ventura’s OppQual is 9.6, so nearly all batters he’s face were in the big leagues last year. And he’s cruising.

The Royals have had a lot of promising minor league pitchers in the past few years and many haven’t panned out. This could still be Ventura’s fate, but from what he’s shown so far, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about him.

That winter, the Royals were bestowed the titled of best minor league system on Planet Earth and landed nine prospects on Baseball America’s top 100 list. Montgomery and Lamb were both in the top 20. Duffy was #68, then-newly-acquired Jake Odorizzi was #69, and Chris Dwyer (who’d made four starts for the Naturals) was #83.

All five were tantalizingly close to the majors entering 2011. Montgomery gave up one run and struck out seven batters in nine innings that spring. He walked eight batters as well, but there was still he may have had a shot to open up the year on the big league roster or at least be a call-up in the first half. Danny Duffy opened the year in Omaha and struck out 48 batters in 42 innings and was in Kansas City in late May 2011. Odorizzi started the year striking everything out in the Carolina League and landed in Double A to finish the year. Lamb had a 3.09 ERA through eight starts. Dwyer, well, he came out struggling in 2011, but you can’t win them all, right?

Of course we know how this story ends. Lamb needed Tommy John surgery after those eight starts. Duffy would need it about a year after Lamb’s. Montgomery fell off the radar with control issues and Odorizzi made steady improvements but still didn’t make the majors until September of 2012 and even then was coddled by facing only the Indians (who still smacked him around a little in two starts). Dwyer is still struggling and has battled back issues and a thyroid problem last year. Montgomery and Odorizzi were traded. The Royals won’t see Duffy until June at the earliest. Lamb isn’t any closer to the big leagues.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura (73) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

But the system keeps churning and there’s depth rising through the ranks now. Once again, Northwest Arkansas could be the focus of the next great pitching hopes.

Earlier today, Paul Nielson of NWAOnline.com passed along news from Eric Edelstein, GM of the Naturals, that Lamb could be the opening day starter for the club and that 2012 first round pick Kyle Zimmer could start out in the NWA rotation as well in 2013. They would likely also be joined by Yordano Ventura, who’s pitching well in spring training, but only had six starts at Double A last season, and Jason Adam, who J.J. Picollo basically confirmed as headed to Double A in 2013 after Adam handled High A last year.

Here’s that potential rotation with ages on April 4, 2013:

• John Lamb (22)
• Yordano Ventura (21)
• Jason Adam (21)
• Kyle Zimmer (21)

Noel Arguelles (23 years old) may start out there as well. So far he’s throwing harder this spring, but his command is still off. Robinson Yambati (22 years old) is another possibility, though most of his success in 2012 was out of the bullpen.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher John Lamb (38) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Again, that group is tantalizingly close. If Lamb can get back on track, he’s very likely to be in Triple A before the All-Star break and has an outside shot of hitting Kansas City in September. Ventura’s name has popped up repeatedly all winter to the point that there’s suggestion that they want to see him in Kansas City by the end of the year as well. Zimmer would be skipping High A Wilmington entirely if Edelstein’s hunch is correct.

Zimmer had just six starts with Low A Kane County last year and the jump from High A to Double A is steep enough. If he shows the Royals what they want to see in minor league camp to where they feel confident in that sort of jump, that’s an aggressive move. Scouts love his stuff and delivery, but he’s only been pitching for a few years after converting in college. He doesn’t have a lot of experience on the mound. He doesn’t have long-term bad habits either.

But pushing Zimmer to Double A signals a message from the Royals that they expect these guys to be pushing for a spot in the rotation as early as 2014 (assuming everyone stays healthy and has the progression the Royals think they’ll have). Quite a lot has to go right for that to be the case, and luck hasn’t been on the Royals side. It’s seemed like they’ve been more conservative in the past in challenging their pitchers, so if this is a shift in philosophy on the developmental side, it’ll be interesting to see how other pitchers farther down are handled.

Picollo pointed out on the Kansas City Baseball Vault two weeks ago that the organization tries to base those decisions on the individual pitcher, so perhaps that speaks to how much more advanced they feel Zimmer and Ventura are relative to Montgomery et al in 2010. Entering that season, Duffy was promoted to Double A (after a spring hiatus) in late July at the age of 21. Dwyer was 22 when he made it to Double A in July 2010. Montgomery opened the year as a 21-year-old in Wilmington before jumping up after four starts. Lamb was just barely 20 years old  when he made it to Springdale. Maybe it’s just by a few months, but the second wave hitting Double A could be a few months ahead of the first if they all start the year in Northwest Arkansas rather than lower levels. Also, Lamb and Ventura have to be penciled in to Omaha’s late-season rotation.

Now they just have to perform better than the first wave had (Texas League Championship notwithstanding).

Photo credits for photo on homepage: Kyle Zimmer – US Presswire File Photo; Yordano Ventura – Jake Roth – USA Today Sports; Jason Adam – Jen Nevius – Kings of Kauffman/Aerys Sports.

No surprises as the same trio of Royals made the list – Yordano Ventura came in just outside the top 50 prospects (who were announced on the MLB Network) at #59, Kyle Zimmer was ranked #34 and Bubba Starling was ranked #26. I covered my thoughts and perceptions of these three on Monday, so let’s solicit some other opinions of the three prospects.

On Yordano Ventura

JJ Cooper of Baseball America on 12/2/12 episode of the Kansas City Baseball Vault: “It’s fair to say that he’s going to get plenty of chances to be a starter because the reality is they need him as a starter more than they need him as a reliever. So he’s another guy by the end of the year or especially by 2014 I’d expect to see in Kansas City.”

Cooper also compared Ventura to Kelvin Herrera. Both have similar big fastballs and while Herrera may have slightly better secondary stuff, Ventura has a better record of staying healthy.

Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus on 12/7/12 episode of the Kansas City Baseball Vault: “Kansas City certainly feels like he’s a starter. That’s a promising thing. They know the value he has as a reliever. They know that they could put him in relief and he can just throw gas. That’s what he was known as before this year. I saw him in spring training and thought ‘Oh, here’s Ventura, here comes 100 and nothing else’ and then he’s throwing a hammer and a good change up and I’m like ‘Well this is different. This changes things. This kid’s about to blow up.’”

“There’s something about this kid, but I can’t put my finger on it. You don’t see it all the time. You’ll get a dominant reliever as a floor, but if he can start, he’s a lot bigger value.”

On Kyle Zimmer

Cooper said he expected to see Zimmer in Kansas City by September of 2013, but also noted that there are a lot of pitchers to mix in before that happens. Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino‘s returns will also complicate that ascent, in Cooper’s opinion.

Parks:  ”This is a guy, he’s probably going to move fast because he’s got a really advanced, hyper-intense arsenal, but he’s not going to be on the top of a rotation any time soon. It may be 2016 that he taps into his potential.”

JJ Picollo, Royals assistant GM, echoed the belief that Zimmer could be a fast riser in the Royals system in 2013.

On Bubba Starling

Cooper: In response to if Starling will hit enough to realize his potential, Cooper answered “We don’t know yet … If the hit tool comes along then, absolutely. If it doesn’t, then that’s going to limit him dramatically as far as his ceiling.”

Parks: On Starling in relation to other phenoms like Bryce Harper or Mike Trout who have debuted at a young age:  ”He’s not ready for that level of acceleration yet. He’s a tremendous athlete [but] he’s not a baseball player yet. He could be a four year guy in the minors.”

Picollo was impressed with Starling’s defensive instincts in center field in his first professional season.

For anyone scoring at home, Wil Myers ranked fourth overall on MLB.com’s list, while Jake Odorizzi was ranked the 45th best prospect in baseball.

Over at Seedlings to Stars, we’re going through the top 100 (really 115 – there are just so many good ones out there) prospects in baseball. Despite some graduation to the majors and the big trade in December, the Royals landed three big names on the list. Those three are:

#83 – Right-handed pitcher Kyle Zimmer

Zimmer doesn’t have much of a track record yet, but signed early enough to get some time in the Pioneer and Midwest League. He’s arguably the team’s top pitching prospect and there’s enough out there to suggest that if all goes well he could be on the fast track to the majors as early as 2013. As a pitcher out of college, that quick ascent isn’t unheard of, but it’s uncharacteristic for the Royals. He should start the year in High A Wilmington.

July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; World pitcher Yordano Ventura throws a pitch during the first inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

#73 – Right-handed pitcher Yordano Ventura

No surprise that Ventura makes the list. Some see him as the top pitching prospect in the organization, but even if he isn’t, he’s close to the top of the list. The Royals seem to want him to get closer to the majors this year, as long as the performance warrants it. I suspect that if he has an ideal year, he’ll cruise through Double A and spend a couple months in Triple A until reaching the big leagues in September.

If things don’t go well, or they rush him, Ventura is still likely to get a lot of time in Triple A. With the way the Royals pitching staff is constructed, they aren’t in any position to push him if there’s any hint of struggle. If he contributes before 2014, it’ll be considered a bonus.

#25 - Outfielder Bubba Starling

There’s still plenty of time for Starling to reach his potential. The Royals knew he’d have a longer path than some coming out of high school and focusing full-time on baseball after being a multi-sport star out of Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kansas. Pro baseball is a big jump from Kansas 5A athletics, but the tools are enough to make scouts drool. If he realizes his potential, he could be among the game’s best players.

For now, though, it’s just unrealized potential and it’s significant to note that Starling is older than 2013 National League Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper. He seems like the kind of player who, when it clicks, it comes together quickly, but there’s no guarantee that Starling will ever develop. The Royals were pleased with his 2012 in short-season Burlington and he should be starting in Low A Lexington in 2013. Starling was also ranked among Jonathan Mayo’s top 10 outfield prospects.

After the 2011 prospect rankings anointed Kansas City as the supreme farm system in the land, Royals fans have been pretty spoiled and getting “only” three prospects in a top 100 feels lacking in impact. Consider also that Wil Myers will be a top five prospect and Jake Odorizzi was the 32nd prospect in these rankings, so the Royals system produced a good amount of talent. Two of the biggest names were simply traded away.

Others who could have gotten into the rankings would be shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, a fast riser among scouts, John Lamb, who should be ready to go after spending 2012 working back from Tommy John surgery, and possibly outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. Cheslor Cuthbert came in tenth in Mayo’s third baseman rankings and could have snuck into this list as well.

Yordano Ventura via Jen Nevius

The 21-year old out of the Dominican Republic has added about ten miles per hour to his fastball since signing at 17 as he’s gained weight and cleaned up his delivery. Still, throwing 100mph for a 5’11, 160 pounder is impressive.

Ventura has gotten into trouble when he worries more about the radar gun and I was witness to that during a start for High-A Wilmington in 2012. The harder he threw, the more erratic he was. When he was around 93mph, he commanded his fastball better and made his 79-83 mph changeup that much harder to hit. The overthrowing also causes his plus potential curveball to flatten. The loss of command also leads to shorter outings (which I also was witness to).

The Royals have pushed Ventura since he responds well and he reached Double-A at midseason. With the Blue Rocks, he was 3-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 16 starts. Over 76.1 innings (which is a little less than five innings per start), he allowed 66 hits (seven homeruns) and walked 28, compared to 98 strikeouts. Those numbers got him named to the Carolina League All-Star team and had him starting the Futures Game for the World Team at Kauffman Stadium.

Ventura struggled a bit after his promotion to NW Arkansas. In six starts, he threw just 29.1 innings. He allowed 23 hits and walked 13, compared to 25 strikeouts. He also had a 4.60 ERA.

Baseball America believes Ventura has the potential to be a front-line big league starter, but he could end up at the back end of a bullpen if he doesn’t repeat his mechanics. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star currently ranks Ventura as the Royals sixth best prospect. MLB.com puts him at number five.

I believe Ventura will be back with the Naturals to start the 2013 season. He could see Triple-A if he has a solid first half.

April 10, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) loses his bat during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Late August is the hardest time to be a Royals fan. They’re out of any type of race other than a race for top draft picks in 2013.

They’re not calling up any young prospects of the future for at least a few days and maybe not even then. They’re stuck in this state of mediocre baseball and near hopelessness.

By now, we pretty clearly have a sense of who the 2012 Royals are: an extremely inconsistent team with players still learning what it takes to be successful at the major league level. Eric Hosmer has disappointed to a level I’ve never seen before when we consider expectations (granted I’m only 26). Mike Moustakas has been decent but not jaw dropping. He continues to struggle with left-handed pitching, and watching him swing and miss at the same pitches over and over again makes me want to throw objects at a television … my television to be specific.

I point to Hosmer and Moustakas only because they are the poster children for this new wave of talent meant to push the Royals back to prominence. But of course they are not the sole holders of blame. Starting pitching has been terrible (as most thought it would be). Jeff Francoeur has been atrocious (as many thought he probably would be). And some of the moves made by Ned Yost and Dayton Moore have been awful (as anyone with brain cells knew they would be).

Now, we’re stuck in this purgatory, a holding pattern, and it feels like eating plain bread. Nobody knows what Moore will do with Wil Myers. Nobody knows what Moore will do with Jake Odorizzi. Right now, all we have are dreams of the future, and those dreams are opaque at best.

That’s why I hate late August for the Royals. When we get to September, we can at least sink into the warm delusion of our strong Septembers. Last season the Royals went 15-10 with what many considered to be a glimpse into their lineup of the future. Salvador Perez, Johnny Giavotella, Hosmer, and Moustakas were all in the majors, and the Royals started winning. Fans could then delude themselves into thinking that this was proof of future success. I want that delusion to get here already. Much like in the movie Inception, I need the dream world because it’s much better than the real world (or something like that … I don’t know that movie was super confusing).

The only pieces of the puzzle left are Myers, Odorizzi, and a pitcher to be named. Maybe that pitcher will be John Lamb or Yordano Ventura or Kyle Smith or Kyle Zimmer. Who knows? Maybe it will be a free agent (I doubt it). But for now, we’re left only to stew in this place of wonderlessness.

You see, wonder is what drives the passion of Royals fans. We wonder what the future will bring (I’m using “wonder” as a double entendre). We look at our future with a sense of wonder. We look at players like Myers and Odorizzi with a sense of wonder. It’s what keeps us going as fans. If we can’t wonder, morale drops like Francoeur’s batting average after facing a righty for one game.

The wonder is off both Hosmer and Moustakas. I’m not saying they won’t be great players. They might be, and if they do become great players it will be wonderful. But it won’t be the same thing we feel when everything is possibility, as it is with Myers and Odorizzi, as it is with next season.

I need September to get here. I need to see the future Royals so I can replace the sense of stuckness I feel now with a sense of wonder.

The Nationals were 69-93 in 2010. They were 80-81 last year. Today, they have the best record in the big leagues and, not coincidentally, their starting pitching has given up the least amount of runs in the league. Similarly, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Pittsburgh are all in the top ten among starting rotations in runs allowed per game and are in the playoff hunt.

The Royals scored more runs in 2000 than any other Royals team in franchise history. Their 879 runs scored eclipsed the old record of 856 runs set in – wouldn’t you know it?  - 1999. In those two seasons, they scored 1735 runs. They won 141 games and lost 192. The offense was around the top third in all of baseball, but the pitching staffs gave up the second most runs in the majors in 1999 and the third most in 2000. A strong offense can’t erase awful pitching.

Now, the Royals find themselves with a lineup that feels like it should be able to produce runs over the long-term (or at least, that’s what the scouts say), but the key to success will be pitching, specifically starting pitching.

That’s as true today as it was on the last day of the season in 2011 as it was on the first day that pitchers and catchers reported. The Royals entered 2012 needing pitching and in the middle of August, they still need starting pitching. Injuries have hurt. If all goes well with recovery, they should see Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino return next July or so, but their contributions may only have an impact if he Royals can manage to piece together some winning months prior to the duo’s return.

The team’s relative inactivity in the offseason to add significant depth to a potential rotation gives me pause about hoping for significant upgrades in the rotation, although some may be on the Royals radar this winter. The Royals ideal situation is to develop pitching via the farm system as the Rays have done with James Shields, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson et al; like the Nationals have done with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler. Hopefully, the Royals go after some of the arms available in free agency or through trade because, in the meantime, while there are a number of strong performances in the minor leagues by pitchers who compose what could be the next wave of talent, most aren’t ready to make the jump yet.

Jake Odorizzi has a rotation spot waiting for him in KC. (Photo Credit: Minda Haas)

Jake Odorizzi has performed well since his promotion to Omaha, allaying concerns that he might struggle early in a tougher league. Last year, he’d racked up 108 strikeouts in 78.1 innings for Wilmington, but became homer-prone in the Texas League and ended his 12 start stint in Northwest Arkansas with a 4.72 ERA. He started his 2012 season back in Double A, put in seven good starts and earned a promotion.

Since then, he’s been putting up good numbers in Omaha, capped off by an outing on Tuesday where he went 6.2 innings before allowing a hit. In 89.1 innings in Triple A, he’s got a 2.92 ERA (though his walk rate is up and he’s giving up more hits, so there could be some good fortune in that ERA). He’s a flyball pitcher, so it will likely make him home run prone once he gets to the big leagues, but he can miss enough bats and should have pretty good control to allow him to limit damage. He projects as a number three starter with some upside and should get to Kansas City in September for a couple appearances.

Another prospect to dream on is John Lamb, who has finally made it back to the mound. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June and in the process of maintaining his conditioning, aggravated a tendon in his ankle and had to hold off on game action.

On Tuesday, he started for the Arizona Royals in Surprise, throwing a scoreless inning and striking out two. A batter reached on an error, but Lamb gave up no hits or walks.

The Royals will probably be very patient with him for the rest of this season, just getting him worked back into game speed. I think we’d all like to see him make a start at each level until he got back to Double A, but I think he’ll work within the rookie levels, then into instructional leagues. J.J. Picollo said on a recent Royals TV broadcast that they’re looking for Lamb to start in Double A next year and be on the fast track. Lamb’s got a good shot to make that happen – he’s been touted for his temperament before even being drafted, and has come back from significant injury before. He might see Kansas City late in 2013, possibly on a similar path as Odorizzi has been on this year of a few starts for the Naturals, a long stint in Omaha and then Kansas City in late August or as a September callup.

Yordano Ventura

Yordano Ventura is another guy to keep an eye on. He’s possibly got the most upside of any starter in the system, but those types usually have some risk. In his case, the Royals are probably going to have to resist the urge to turn him into a reliever if he encounters any bumps in the road. He’s small (listed at 5’11″ 140 pounds, though he looks like he’s filled out since) and the perception is that smaller pitchers are fragile or can’t hold up to the rigors of 200 inning seasons.

That being the case, he has the potential to be a high strikeout pitcher if he starts, has shown decent control, and has the type of stuff that misses bats. He can hurl a fastball into the triple digits, his curveball is developing into a solid secondary pitch and his changeup could be more than adequate. He’s currently on the disabled list in Double A with carpal tunnel symptoms in his wrist, but should finish the year there, start back there next year and hit Omaha in the summer months.

Of course, Kyle Zimmer should be in this discussion. The Royals first rounder in 2012 is only 20 years old coming out of college and has already started to shine in Low A Kane County’s rotation. He’s made eight pro starts, building up 33.2 innings, striking out 39 batters and walking just seven. He’s also been getting a decent amount of grounders in his short pro career. Strikeouts plus low walk totals plus groundball tendencies are great components for a future star to have. He’s had one rough start of those eight, but all of his others have been dominant. He’ll start next year at High A Wilmington and might be up in mid-2014 if he keeps rolling.

One pitcher who needs a new challenge is Sam Selman. The lefty from Vanderbilt has been destroying the Pioneer League and will hopefully get a shot at a higher level to see how his dominance continues. He’s striking out 13.9 batters per nine innings at Idaho Falls.

Kyle Smith struck out 11 batters in five innings in his first pro start for Idaho Falls and was moved to Kane Country afterwards. He’s continued to perform well there, making nine starts and striking out 58 batters in 45.2 innings. He has nearly a 5/1 K/BB ratio as a pro. He’ll turn 20 next month and isn’t the big, tall pitcher the Royals usually go for as a starter, but he deserves a look as he moves up the minor league ladder. His best start came two weeks ago when he went seven scoreless innings, gave up just three hits and struck out 12 while walking none against Cedar Rapids. More of that, please.

Jason Adam

Another good arm in the system is Jason Adam. He started the season off well for Wilmington, hit some rough patches in May and June, but has righted the ship and is pitching well. His 5-11 record is deceiving, as he’s hardly gotten any run support in most of his starts, best demonstrated by a May 19 start when he went six innings, struck out seven and gave up two runs, and the Blue Rocks got no-hit. He’s surpassed seven innings in six starts to lead Wilmington and has a good share of 6+ IP starts as well.

As a result, he’s probably thrown too many innings to get anything more than a courtesy start in Double A. At 141 innings this year, he might be shut down soon. He’s a strong candidate to start the year in Double A next year after demonstrating enough ability to miss bats (7 K/9) and prevent walks (2 BB/9) this year while also inducing his share of ground balls. He has good stuff, but it’s not dominating, though he’s been adding velocity recently. He’s hit the mid-90s with his fastball before, and if he can build up to that level, it gives him more upside. He’s another guy who scouts suggest could be a #3 starter down the line.

Unfortunately, for the moment, this is all just dreaming on these guys, because Odorizzi’s the closest to the big leagues and won’t have much time in the big leagues if at all by next spring and it may keep him from making the team out of Surprise. Lamb and Ventura will probably hit Triple A next year, but among Zimmer, Adam, Selman and Smith, there’s not a single pitch at the Double A level yet. That puts them some ways away from the big leagues.

Ideally, the Royals will be able to add these arms to the mix in the future. They won’t have much impact next season so if the Royals are to build up their rotation (which they need to do), they’ll have to go after those free agent targets. They may have to put one of these arms into a trade to get a better return on a starter with another team. The Royals want to bring their star starters up from the minor leagues and have a homegrown staff, and that’s commendable, but for the moment, unless Mike Montgomery (5.71 ERA in 41 innings after his demotion to Double A) or Chris Dwyer (6.21 ERA in Omaha) figure things out – sooner rather than later – the homegrown pipeline of pitching talent will remain a pipe dream.

July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA batter Wil Myers drives in a run with a fielder

Down 6-0 after four innings, Omaha came back to defeat OKC, 7-6. A fielding error by the OKC pitcher cost them the winning run in the top of the 9th inning. Omaha broke their four game losing streak.

The Storm Chasers bullpen trio of Tommy Hottovy, Jeremy Jeffress, and Vin Mazzaro picked up starter Nathan Adcock. They threw four scoreless innings of relief.

Wil Myers went 3-for-4 with four RBIs as he hit two homeruns. Irving Falu and Tony Abreu each collected two hits. Mitch Maier played first base.

Despite coming back to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th inning, NW Arkansas lost to Springfield, 9-5. The Cardinals took a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning, chasing Naturals starter Yordano Ventura from the game. Ethan Hollingsworth kept the Cardinals in check with 6.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The Naturals came back with three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the game, as Yem Prades doubled in one run and Kevin Kouzmanoff doubled in two more. However the Naturals bullpen trio of Nick Rogers and Jon Keck gave up five runs in the top of the 9th inning to give the Cardinals back the lead. Rogers threw just seven of his 25 pitches for strikes (four walks).

Yem Prades continues his hot hitting, as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles.

Wilmington enjoyed Monday off and now head to Winston-Salem to begin a three-game series on Tuesday.

Kane County swept Quad Cities with a 5-3 win on Monday afternoon. Angel Baez got the start and allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over five innings. The Cougars bullpen trio of Rudy Brown, Andrew Triggs, and Malcom Culver pitched four scoreless innings of relief.

Alex Llanos went 3-for-4 and Dean Espy went 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homerun in Burlington’s 8-2 loss.

In the latest episode of the Kansas City Baseball Vault, our guest was former Kansas City Athletic and current Royals senior pitching advisor Bill Fischer.

Fischer talked about his time with the A’s and in pitching, as well as his time as a coach and advisor. We asked him about pitching today, a few Royals prospects (Jason Adam and Yordano Ventura in particular) and his approach to the game and pitching development.

The rest of the show was spent discussing the front office, decision-making, and what it’ll take to get this team back to being a winner. Since the hope of a great season is mostly gone, we focused on the things we’re going to pay attention to for the rest of the year and those players that we enjoy seeing play even during the rough games.

We’ll be back next week with more discussion of Kansas City baseball, past, present and future on ESPN 1510 Thursday at 6 p.m. CST.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

Irving Falu

Omaha scored four runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back, as they beat Round Rock, 10-4. The Storm Chasers got to big league rehabber Neftali Feliz (he threw just 1.2 innings in his start).

The  Storm Chasers collected 15 hits. Irving Falu went 4-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Johnny Giavotella and Tony Abreu each went 2-for-5. Anthony Seratelli went 3-for-5 with a homerun and three RBIs. Mitch Maier picked up his first hit since being sent back to the minors.

Nate Adcock picked up the win for the Storm Chasers, though he allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over seven innings. Vin Mazzaro followed in relief with two shutout innings.

A four run 7th inning did in NW Arkansas, as they lost at Springfield, 6-3. The Naturals led 3-0 after four innings, with their last run coming via Alex McClure‘s first Double-A homerun (a solo shot in the 4th inning).

Springfield’s comeback kept Yordano Ventura from picking up a victory. He allowed just one run (which was unearned) on just one hit over 5.2 innings. The reason he did not last longer was the five walks (and five strikeouts), which pushed him to 94 pitches. The Naturals bullpen trio allowed five runs over the final two innings.

Wilmington got out of Myrtle Beach and started their series in Salem with a victory by a score of 6-1. The Blue Rocks collected 13 hits and led 1-0 after six innings before a three run 7th inning. The top two of their order, Whit Merrifield and Geulin Beltre, went 5-for-9 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Also, the bottom of their order, Juan Graterol and Luis Piterson, went a combined 4-for-7 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Elisaul Pimentel allowed just two hits over seven innings of work. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Kane County lost both games of their doubleheader at Bowling Green. The first game (the makeup of Thursday night’s suspended game), the Cougars lost, 8-5. Bowling Green scored five runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning when the game restarted.

The Cougars scored three runs in the top of the 9th inning and had runners at first and second base with just one out, but a Bowling Green pitching change thwarted their rally.

In the second game (a seven inning affair), the Cougars lost 4-1. Bryan Brickhouse took the loss, as he allowed all four runs on just two hits, but he walked six. He allowed a three-run homerun in the bottom of the 4th inning after the Cougars led 1-0. Rudy Brown followed with 2.1 innings of shutout relief.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI in Burlington’s 7-5 win at Danville. He also threw a base runner out at the plate. The Royals scored two runs in the top of the 9th inning for the victory (Starling drove in the final run with his triple).

The Storm Chasers offense was dormant, as they collected just four hits, two by Johnny Giavotella.

Yordano Ventura

NW Arkansas was swept in their four-game series against Springfield, as they lost Sunday’s finale, 8-6. Yordano Ventura was roughed up in his Double-A debut (4.2 IP, 9H, 7R, 2BB, 4K).

The Naturals had runners on first and second base with just one out in the 9th inning, but Brian Fletcher grounded into a game-ending DP.

The Naturals collected 12 hits, but hit into two double plays and went just 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Catcher Manny Pina was reinstated from the big league DL, but was optioned to the Naturals. He went 3-for-4 with a homerun.

Reliever Nick Rogers continues to struggle with his command. He walked two and recorded just two outs, as he threw just eight of his 20 pitches for strikes.

Wilmington had Sunday off, as they made their way to Myrtle Beach.

Kane County lost to West Michigan, 6-3. Kyle Smith took his first loss, as he allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings. He did strike out five.

Andrew Triggs allowed runs in back-to-back outings for the first time in his short professional career.

Bubba Watch: Burlington finally played and they actually played two games in one day. In the first game of their doubleheader, Bubba Starling went 0-for-3. Daniel Hernandez allowed just two hits over six innings to pick up the win.

In the second game, Starling went 1-for-3.

The Royals scored all three of their runs in the two games via the homerun.

In our second show of All-Star Weekend, we find the Royalmen in the epicenter of All-Star Festivities right outside of the Power and Light District at The Flying Saucer. We started out show with a bit of a scare as we went on the air right as a bomb threat occurred.

Once that was cleared, we turned to happier topics such as what the All-Star festivities meant to Kansas City and Fan Fest. The first half of the show, Chris is joined by Rambling Morons cohorts Laurie Kunkel and Chris Atkins. The second half of the show focused on the Futures Game and the performances of Royals Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi and Yordano Ventura as well as the game’s MVP Nick Castellanos and the ridiculous speed of Billy Hamilton with reaction from Michael Engel and Troy Olsen.

Don’t forget the Royalman Report is on every Sunday at 7 and catch our new show, The Kansas City Baseball Vault on ESPN 1510 AM Thursday’s at 6.

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The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler and 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

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Within an outstanding atmosphere and a few sprinkles of rain (which helped bring the temperature down into reasonable territory, as opposed to the triple digits the Midwest has been tormented by recently), fans were able to faces to names as the best minor league talent was putting on a show at Kauffman Stadium.

The field at the K during the Futures Game, shot by @scottweiters

The Royals fans gave warm welcomes to their three representatives. Jake Odorizzi and Yordano Ventura (who will reportedly be promoted to Double A) started the game for Team USA and the World Team respectively while Wil Myers started in right field. All three gained large ovations when they were announced, with Myers getting the largest.

Once the game started, Odorizzi made one mistake to Jurickson Profar, who took a high fastball into the right field corner and over the wall for a homer, but Odorizzi struck out Diamondbacks pr0spect Alfredo Marte to finish the inning. Ventura dispatched the US team with little incident, inducing three groundouts in a perfect inning. In the Futures Game, pitchers don’t go more than an inning, so the Royals duo of pitchers were in and out quickly.

Wil Myers batted third for George Brett‘s USA team and received a standing ovation in his first at bat. He grounded out to third, but it was close at first. Myers played the whole game, moving to center field halfway through the game. He drove in three and went 2-4 with two singles and a sacrifice fly. He made every play in the outfield that he had a shot at, but didn’t make quick reads in center, so he has more to get used to in that spot. He didn’t look lost, just not as comfortable as he did in right.

The World team jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the Profar homer and a two-run homer by Jae-Hoon Ha of the Cubs. They added the fourth in the third inning but only one more all day.

The US team got on the board after Billy Hamilton drove a ball to deep center that got over Ha’s head, which was dangerous with Hamilton’s speed – he ended up with a two run triple and flew around the basepaths in the process. Kelton Wong of the Cardinals hit a one-out chopped back to Chris Reed of the Dodgers who looked Hamilton back and made a bad throw to first which let Wong get over to third after driving in the run. Myers grounded out to second to tie the score.

The runs just piled up after that for the US team. In the sixth inning, they put up nine runs, including a three run bomb to center by game MVP Nick Castellanos of the Tigers. Ariel Pena was hit hard repeatedly in the inning and gave up eight runs and only retired Myers, who hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run.

Manny Machado was impressive in the game. On the US side, the Orioles prospect doubled off the left field wall and made a couple of leaping catches at shortstop. Mike Olt from the Rangers system had a deep drive for a double as well.

The game wasn’t really close, but it was an entertaining event regardless and attendance was better than most other Futures Games. Many were Royals fans there to see Myers and company, but they were treated to the elite of the minor leagues – and a lot of offense.

Bonus – I wanted to share this gif of a foul ball that Myers just missed during the game that broke the camera behind home plate (simply click the image):

Wil Myers fouls one off ... of the camera.

July 10, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; USA outfielders Matthew Szczur (4) , Bryce Harper (middle) and Wil Myers (right) celebrate after the 2011 Futures Game at Chase Field. USA won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

In today’s know-everything-first, savior-in-the-making, prospect pleasure land, people tend to over-hype everything. Media allows us access to high school football games (a lot of them), little league games, college sports, and so on. On the Internet, we can get analysis and scouting reports on children—read that line again and let it sink in. Think of Bryce Harper, the phenom of the moment. According to ESPN, Baseball America, the Washington Nationals, and Under Armor (he endorses them), Harper is the second coming of Babe Ruth or Willie Mays. According to Fangraphs, he’s hitting .274/.348/.471, which is exceptional for a 19-year-old.

My point, and I’d say it’s a point of criticism, is that we go to extremes with our perspective on players … especially prospects. Until they reach the majors, they are a relative unknown, which helps create our extreme views. We knew less about Harper the player before he got to the majors so that gave us the license to create the fantasy Bryce Harper in our imagination. And fantasy Bryce Harper is phenomenal, perhaps to an unobtainable degree.

If Harper stays the player he is today and finishes his career with the same slash line as right now, he will have been a relative disappointment. He will not have walked on water, leapt tall buildings, solved the debt crisis, and rolled back prices all while creating sweet catch phrases like “That’s a clown question, bro.” Even though his numbers so far this season would equal a pretty good major league player over the course of 15 seasons, it won’t be good enough.

Harper may live up to his hype. The media loves to help players reach it by exaggerating every small things they do as if no one has ever done it before (Remember when Harper hustled around the bases on a popout and ESPN gushed as if no one had ever ran out a popout? Boy, that was terrific journalism). But it takes a lot to get there. He’ll have to be a superstar, nothing else will suffice because people have already created the player they want him to be.

This all came to my mind while I was watching the Omaha Storm Chasers game this morning on MiLB.tv. I wanted to see Jake Odorizzi pitch; I watch most of his starts. The broadcasters mentioned that he would start the Futures Game, but they also talked about another guy who started in the Futures Game something like a decade ago: Josh Fields. Fields is playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes now so Odorizzi pitched against him on Monday.

As Fields, a guy with great promise in his day and plenty of major league opportunities, dug in, I thought to myself: Look at the contrast here. One guy’s star has faded another’s is shining bright. No one knew that Fields would bust at the big league level, but fewer people back then were paying attention to the minor league level. Fields was coming up just as fans started raising expectations on top prospects.

Today, we pin hopes to players in the minor leagues more so than ever. Many Royals blogs and news outlets reported Bubba Starling’s big day on Monday, hitting the first two homeruns of his professional career. Harper and Mike Trout are two of the biggest names in baseball and have been since they were in the low minors. We see these bits of news on rookie ball players like Starling, or Harper when he was down there, and let it fuel our hopeful frenzy. Oddly, when Bubba went 0-5 the other night, no one said much but when he hit two homeruns in one game, we started clearing a spot on our mantels next to Jesus and John McClain (Doesn’t everyone’s mantle have John McClain from Die Hard on it?).

I’ll admit, it’s fun to be hopeful. I spent all this morning looking up stuff about Bubba and dreaming of he, Wil Myers, and Alex Gordon in the outfield. But to do so without critical thought is not fair to the player, the team, or yourself as a fan. Gordon felt the pressure that comes with people pinning their hopes to him. Everyone knew he’d be the next George Brett. Everyone knew he’d be great. And for a long time, he wasn’t, and fans were mad at him for it. Was our disappointment his fault? No. It was ours. We created the fantasy Alex Gordon, and he folded under the pressure of trying to be that thing.

I notice this more as I think about the All-Star Futures Game. The Royals have three young players in it: Odorizzi, Myers, and Yordano Ventura. I’ve already given my thoughts on Myers (good and bad). I know very little about Ventura. So, I’ll give you my thoughts on Odorizzi, and more importantly, I’ll try to do it in a realistic way.

Feb 29, 2012; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (49) poses for a picture during the Royals photo day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

I’ve seen most of his starts this year, and I’m excited like everyone else. To me, his greatest weapon is his fastball. He commands it well, especially up in the zone as an outpitch. If I’m excited about one aspect of his game, it’s that he can use his fastball effectively, something that not too many Royals starters have. He’s poised on the mound and consistent. Sometimes his breaking pitches get a little wild, and they don’t have the type of hard-breaking, late movement associated with aces like Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez. But they’re pretty good.

Here’s what scares me about Odorizzi: he gives up a lot of hits. He’s given up 52 hits in 47.2 innings at Omaha this season. When I watch him, he’s always pitching with guys on base. He’s always pitching out of jams. He usually gets out of them because he can strike guys out, which makes his ERA look fine. It’s 2.83 in Omaha, but his opponent’s BA is .274. But it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll be able to do that against top-flight talent in the majors.

That’s why I’m excited to see him in the Futures Game. I want to see him get tested against the best hitters in the minors. I want to see him have a few guys on with nobody out and see if he can work out of that jam. In the majors, he’ll face tough hitters like Miguel Cabrera with runners on base, not random Albuquerque Isotopes players … well … like Josh Fields

It’s easy to look at Odorizzi and become unreasonably excited. From that comes unreasonable expectations and unreasonable disappointment. It makes more sense to be realistically optimistic and contextually open-minded than to hang our hopes and dreams on a kid, and then rip the kid for not delivering.

David Lough hit a solo homerun in the 2nd inning (one of his two hits). Johnny Giavotella drove in two runs in the 7th inning with a two out RBI single.

August 05, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Manny Pina (28) makes a throw to second during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

The NW Arkansas Naturals have now lost four in a row, as they lost their series opener at home against Corpus Christi, 10-2. The Naturals collected 11 hits, but went just 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.

Brian Fletcher went 2-for-4 for the second straight game. Alex McClure went 3-for-4 with an RBI (where is all this offense coming with McClure?).

Catcher Manny Pina began his rehab from knee surgery with an 0-for-3 day. He also threw a runner out trying to steal second base. He caught seven innings.

Wilmington lost the slugfest in Lynchburg, 10-9. The Hillcats gave Yordano Ventura his worst start of the season right before his appearance in Sunday’s Futures Game. Ventura, who supposedly was ON in the first inning, fell apart in the second inning. The Hillcats scored five runs and he lasted just 2.2 innings.

The Blue Rocks actually came back to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the 7th inning with a six-spot. Matt Fields hit a homerun and Brett Eibner followed two batters later with a two-run homerun in that inning (he fell a triple short of the cycle). The Hillcats came right back with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning against loser Nick Graffeo.

Kane County used a six-run bottom of the 5th inning to beat Quad Cities, 9-2. This came after the River Bandits tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the inning. In that 5th inning, Michael Antonio hit a two-run homerun (one of his two hits).

All of that offense made a winner of Aaron Brooks, who allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

Every Cougars starter (except Yowill Espinal) collected at least one hit.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 0-for-3 with his second error of the season in Burlington’s 8-7 walk-off win.

May 21, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz (17) singled to center during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Omaha beat Albuquerque, 8-7. After the Isotopes scored four runs in the top of the 4th inning to tie the game, Omaha scored a run in the bottom of the 5th inning and held on.

The Storm Chasers collected 14 hits, with five players having multi-hit nights. Chris Getz went 2-for-4, as he is rehabbing once again. Wil Myers went 2-for-4 as he continues to play centerfield.

Louis Coleman picked up the save, as he allowed just one hit over 3.1 innings of relief. He struck out six and threw 29 of his 39 pitches for strikes.

NW Arkansas was pounded 13-7 by Corpus Christi. Naturals starter Noel Arguelles lasted just 1.2 innings and allowed six runs (five earned).

The Naturals did collect 11 hits, with four players having multi-hit games. The newest members, Brian Fletcher and Alex McClure each had two hits. Fletcher picked up his first Double-A RBI. Michael Liberto made his Double-A debut and went 1-for-1 with two runs scored in replacing Rey Navarro (who was 2-for-2) in the 8th inning.

Wilmington lost a heartbreaker, 1-0 to Lynchburg. The game was scoreless until the top of the 9th inning when Nick Rogers allowed two straight singles and a sac fly to drive in the game’s only run.

The loss ruined the solid start by Yordano Ventura, who struck out ten over 5.2 innings. He allowed just three hits.

Kane County lost the series finale to Burlington, 5-0. The Cougars collected just four hits, with Jack Lopez picking up two of them. He also stole two bases.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 1-for-2 with his first two professional RBIs in Burlington’s 6-4 loss. He also committed his first error in centerfield.

That offense made a winner of Nate Adcock, who allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings.

Alex McClure

NW Arkansas needed a two-out, RBI single from Alex McClure to walk off against Arkansas, 3-2. After Ryan Dennick blew Sugar Ray Marimon‘s first Double-A victory (6IP, 4H, R, OBB, 4K) in the top of the 9th inning, the Naturals came through in the bottom of the inning, With two outs and nobody on base, Carlo Testa was hit by a pitch. Despite the fact that Mario Lisson was the only Natural to not record a hit, he did walk to bring up McClure and his heroics.

Wilmington finally won a game in the second half, as they beat Potomac, 7-3. They scored three runs in the 8th inning and four runs in the 9th. Orlando Calixte hit his first homerun for the Blue Rocks, a three-run shot that broke the 3-3 tie.

Yordano Ventura was solid, as he allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings. He walked two while striking out seven. The P-Nats runs against Ventura came via a two-out, two-run homerun in the 2nd inning.

Kane County scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, but could not hold on, as they lost to Beloit, 4-2. They unfortunately went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

The bullpen duo of Cody Fassold and Malcom Culver did not allow a hit over the final four innings. Only one man reached base (via a Fassold walk).

They used to say that the All-Star Game itself was a chance to see players from the other league that would otherwise only match up in the World Series. With interleague play, that aspect has diminished. In the Futures Game, though, fans can see prospects they’ve likely never seen in person.

Last season, the Royals showcased their Omaha and Northwest Arkansas rosters after a home game, and for me, who can’t always travel to the minor league affiliates (in fact I’ve yet to make it to Omaha or Springdale – but I’m working on it), it was a chance to see Mike Montgomery, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers in person for the first time on the field. It’s the same situation with the All-Star Futures Game.

With that in mind, I want to take a shot at guessing who will land on the roster for the Royals. Futures Game rosters are split into World and U.S. teams and every team gets a representative (just like the big leagues All-Star Game).

Last season, the Royals were represented by Kelvin Herrera and Myers.

This year’s candidates:

Wil Myers

By this point, what else is there to say about Myers’s season? He was mashing in Double A and he’s still socking the ball in Triple A. It doesn’t seem as if there’s a practice of non-repeat participants but that or a big league call up would be the only things preventing him from being the big name in the game. He was among the best young hitting prospects in baseball before the year. Now he’s the next big bat with callup speculation surrounding him.

Jake Odorizzi

Like Myers, questions of when Odorizzi will be called up have been swirling since he tore through Double A and impressed right away in Omaha. Rosters are generally filled with A ball and Double A players, but many Triple A players will make it in and Odorizzi has been strong and consistent all season. He’s also a name, having been ranked highly in prospect countdowns even back when he was in the Brewers organization. He’s earned the opportunity if they come calling.

Yordano Ventura

Ventura’s drawn attention since before the 2011 season, gaining praise for his high velocity and dominating performance. He was a Carolina League All Star after posting a 3.10 ERA in 61 innings for Wilmington. He’s struck out 78 batters in that span which is the sort of number that catches a lot of attention in these sorts of exhibitions. If Myers is part of the U.S. team, Ventura could jump ahead of Odorizzi as part of the World team. He has the mix of raving scouting reports, a name with some buzz connected to it, and current performance to make the team.

Sugar Ray Marimon

Marimon doesn’t have the same prospect luster that the others have, but he had a good 2011 (that was cut short by rotator cuff issues) and he’s built on it at the High A level. Like Ventura, Marimon was part of the Carolina League All-Star Game after a 2.12 ERA in 68 innings. He doesn’t have the same stuff or strikeout numbers as Ventura, so he’s a longshot to get into the game.

Jorge Bonifacio

Every year when prospect rankings come out, there’s usually one guy who everyone pegs as their big riser. Bonifacio is that guy. He’s rewarded the experts with a fine season in Low A Kane County, leading the team in OPS (and the Cougars have been hitting well as a team all year). He’s 19 years old as of two weeks ago and is showing promises of a bright future. If the roster construction dictates an outfielder on the World side, Bonifacio would be a good fit. He’s shown pretty good plate discipline by the numbers, walking a career high 7.8% of the time and cutting his strikeout rate down to 16.6% after a 36% rate in 2010 in the Arizona’s Rookie League and striking out 22.5% of the time in short season Burlington last year. The skills look to be there and he has some buzz but it may be a year early for Bonifacio.

Unlike other All-Star Games, the rosters for the Futures Game are selected by Baseball America, Major League Baseball and the 30 teams – so the status of a prospect matters as much as their performance. For that reason, fine seasons by John Whittleman in Northwest Arkansas or Edwin Carl in Low A just don’t get noticed because neither are considered impact prospects.

Wil Myers - looking to the future. Photo: Minda Haas

My guess is that Wil Myers will be named to the U.S. team. He’s just hitting too well to keep him from being a part of the exhibition. Some have suggested that the Royals are leaving Myers in Omaha to allow him to take part in the the Futures Game in front of the hometown crowd. Even if that’s the case and it’s a consideration, it can’t be much more than a small percentage of consideration. That’s my take, anyway. It’s all rendered moot if the Royals go for it and call him up.

Along with Myers, I think Ventura will be invited to take part. He can regularly hit triple digits and when he’s on, he dominates. He was among the top ten Royals prospects on many preseason lists coming into the season, so the hype is with him too. Odorizzi definitely has a case, but my guess is that those selecting rosters will try to diversify it a bit.

The Royals are likely to have two representatives no matter how they line up. All five players above have strong cases to make the team so even if Odorizzi and Myers get called up, other candidates are available to be step in.

The game itself is scheduled at 4 p.m. CST on July 8th.

Sugar Ray Marimon

Let’s start with the CL-CL game. The Wilmington Blue Rocks were represented by two starting pitchers, Yordano Ventura and Sugar Ray Marimon. Despite the fact that neither started the game in Winston-Salem, Marimon did pick up the victory. He pitched the 4th inning, struck out two, and only threw 13 pitches. The Carolina League took the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning and held on for the 9-1 win. Ventura followed him up with a scoreless 5th inning (though he walked a batter).

Kane County was the host for the Midwest League ASG and it was over after the first two innings (though they played all nine). The East led 13-0 after two innings and won 18-2 while pounding out 20 hits. Unfortunately, the Cougars representatives played for the West squad. Outfielders Jorge Bonifacio and Lane Adams started and batted 3-4 in the order. They went a combined 0-for-5. The bright spot was reliever Matt Ridings. He got into the game in the 5th inning with two outs and struck out the only batter he faced (on three pitches).

Now onto the other regular season games.

Omaha won again, as they beat Memphis, 3-2. Jeremy Jeffress made it interesting in the 9th inning, as he allowed a run and the Redbirds had the tying run on second base. However Jeffress got Pete Kozma to line out to end the game.

It was all about pitching, as veteran Doug Davis made the start and allowed just one run over six innings of work. Francisley Bueno followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

NW Arkansas seems to still have fight left in them at the end of the first half. They have won the first two games of their series against first-place Tulsa, as they won again Tuesday night in walk-off fashion. The Naturals won 5-4 in 11 innings.

With two outs and two men on base in the bottom of the 11th inning, Yem Prades delivered the game winning single.

For the Naturals, there was good starting pitching and a good finish. Michael Mariot allowed just one run on six hits and a walk over seven innings. Tim Sexton picked up the win after throwing three scoreless innings of relief.

May 6, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Tommy Hottovy (46) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Omaha continued their hot streak Wednesday afternoon, as they finished up their four-game sweep in Iowa with a 5-2 victory. The Storm Chasers have now won eight in a row as they head to Nashville for a four-game series.

Veteran Doug Davis made his first start with Omaha and picked up his first victory, as he allowed two runs on six hits over 5.1 innings. Tommy Hottovy was once again dominant in picking up his sixth save of the season. He pitched two perfect innings while striking out three.

Irving Falu hit his fourth homerun of the season, batting from the leadoff spot. He went 2-for-5, as did Anthony Seratelli.

A four-run bottom of the first inning sent NW Arkansas to their fourth loss in a row, as they were swept by first-place Tulsa by a 6-2 final. The Naturals collected 11 hits, but went just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Mario Lisson collected three doubles and Paulo Orlando went 3-for-4, but neither scored a run.

Noel Arguelles took the loss. He allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.

With the rain out on Tuesday, Wilmington and Salem played a doubleheader on Wednesday night. The Blue Rocks lost Game 1, 3-2 and Game 2, 3-0. The Blue Rocks collected just nine hits in the two games. Since Lynchburg won their doubleheader on Tuesday night, they clinched the first half crown in the Carolina League’s Northern Division.

After a fielding error on a sac bunt with one out in the top of the 7th inning, Nick Rogers entered the game. He ended up striking out the side, but allowed a two-run single that gave Salem the 3-2 lead.

Yordano Ventura started for the Blue Rocks and allowed one run (on a solo homerun) on four hits and three walks over five innings (he left with the lead). He struck out eight.

In Game 2, Brooks Pounders made his first start for the Blue Rocks. He was greeted rudely by Red Sox first baseman and CL All-Star Travis Shaw. Shaw homered in the first inning and doubled in two runs in the 3rd inning. Pounders only allowed four hits, two to Shaw, over six innings. He struck out six.

Kane County scored two runs in the top of the 9th inning to increase their lead over Quad Cities, only to see the River Bandits score three runs in the bottom of the 9th and win 6-5 in walk-off fashion in the 10th inning. Matt Ridings took the loss, as he allowed the walk-off double by Anthony Garcia (he recorded just one out).

Four of the Cougars’ five runs were driven in by Jorge Bonifacio, who went 2-for-5. Daniel Mateo also had two hits, while Dean Espy went 3-for-5.

The Blue Rocks begin their final homestand of the first half (a seven-game homestand), as they welcome Salem into town for three games. The Red Sox also struggled a bit this weekend and fell to three games back of the Dash in the Southern Division.

The Blue Rocks have the chance to be spoilers for both Salem and the Dash (who they play in their final four games of the first half). The Red Sox are a tired bunch, with playing five games in three days (they played two days of doubleheaders this past weekend).

The Carolina League finally announced their All-Star team for next Tuesday’s game versus the California League All-Stars in Winston-Salem. The Blue Rocks have two honorees: pitchers Sugar Ray Marimon (4-1 with a 2.05 ERA) and Yordano Ventura (3-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 12 starts). Marimon’s ERA is second in the league. Ventura is second in the league in strikeouts with 70. For Salem, they garnered three starters: outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and first baseman Travis Shaw. Pitcher Mike Olmstead also was named to the team (he leads the league in saves with 12). Bradley leads the league in hitting at .377. Shaw is fourth in the league in hitting at .322 and is second in RBIs at 44.

Starting tonight for Wilmington is Tyler Sample, who has struggled much of his return trip to the CL (1-6 with a 5.04 ERA). He was solid in his last start, but picked up a no-decision. He lost 2-0 to Salem back on May 2nd.

The Red Sox are sending Miguel Celestino to the mound. He is 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA. He beat the Blue Rocks back on April 26th (4-1).

Lineups:

Red Sox: Jackie Bradley Jr (CF), Shannon Wilkerson (RF), Travis Shaw (1B), Brandon Jacobs (LF), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Michael Almanzar (3B), Christian Vazquez (C), Heiker Meneses (2B), and Adalberto Ibarra (DH).

Blue Rocks: Whit Merrifield (DH), Angel Franco (2B), Brian Fletcher (LF), Brett Eibner (CF), Cheslor Cuthbert (3B), Geulin Beltre (RF), Kevin David (C), Jake Kuebler (1B), and Luis Piterson (SS).

It is overcast and a bit windy here at the ballpark and with about a half hour to game time, the crowd is very thin. I’ll keep you posted throughout of the goings on here in Wilmington.

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Hosmer bobblehead via KC Royals

It’s Eric Hosmer bobblehead night here in Wilmington (and no that photo is not a picture of the actual bobblehead). Hosmer spent the second half of 2009 as a Blue Rock (and struggled mightily to hit just .206 in 27 games) and the first half of 2012 in Wilmington (where he made adjustments and hit .354 in 87 games).

It’s also a beautiful night for baseball, though pop-up storms are expected to roll through (fingers crossed that they come after the game). Tonight, the Blue Rocks finish their seven-game homestand and four-game series with Carolina, the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. So far, the Blue Rocks have won two of the first three games of the series after losing three of four last week in Carolina.

The Mudcats are 27-31 and seven games out of first place in the Carolina League’s Southern Division. The Blue Rocks are 28-30 and just 1.5 games back of Lynchburg for the Northern Division title. Wilmington heads to Winston-Salem to face the Dash on Friday for a short three-game series before returning home to finish the first half against Salem and Winston-Salem (who are battling for the Southern Division title).

On the mound for the Blue Rocks will be hard-throwing right-hander Yordano Ventura. This will be the first time I will be seeing him pitch and I now have seen every Blue Rocks pitcher throw (except the new reliever Nick Graffeo). Ventura is 3-4 with a 2.82 ERA and will be making his 12^th start of the season. He has struck out 67 to just 19 walks in 54.1 innings. This will be Ventura’s first start against Carolina.

Getting the ball in the finale for the Mudcats is Michael Goodnight. He is 1-6 with a 4.88 ERA in 11 games (ten starts). Opponents are hitting .298 against him and he has walked 28 to just 38 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. His lone victory came in his first start of the season back on April 14^th. He faced the Blue Rocks last week in Carolina (May 28^th) and allowed four runs on ten hits over seven innings. He struck out nine in the loss.

Lineups:

Mudcats: Tyler Holt (CF), Tony Wolters (2B), Giovanny Urshela (3B), Carlos Moncrief (RF), Anthony Gallas (DH), Ronny Rodriguez  (SS), Justin Toole (1B), Tyler Cannon (C), and Delvi Cid (LF).

Blue Rocks: Angel Franco (2B), Geulin Beltre (DH), Whit Merrifield (CF), Brian Fletcher (LF), Cheslor Cuthbert (3B), Kevin David (C), Roman Hernandez (LF), Juan Graterol (1B), and Alex McClure (SS).

For those who follow the Blue Rocks, you will notice a few lineup changes. Merrifield is back in centerfield and batting in the three-spot. Fletcher is in left field with Hernandez moving to right field. There is no Brett Eibner tonight.

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Mike Montgomery may be getting back on track. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

In 2011, Mike Montgomery toiled in Omaha, racking up a 5.32 ERA in 150.2 innings. He walked too many, gave up 15 homers, and by many accounts was nowhere near the same pitcher he’d been through the middle of 2010.

His first two starts of 2012 weren’t very encouraging either, as he only got through 7.2 innings and had an 8.22 ERA entering Thursday night’s game at Round Rock. He had walked four and gave up five runs in 3.1 innings at Albuquerque in his second start after opening the year with 4.1 innings and two earned runs.

So his taking the mound on Thursday had many fans – including myself – hoping for any sign of progress.

In a way, another rough start would have been just as painful as the seven straight losses from the big league team. Montgomery is arguably the most important part of The Process. He’s been touted as a potential ace (though that ceiling is less and less reachable) and at worst a solid #2 starter. Now, he’s got as much boom and bust potential as any other pitching prospect.

But on Thursday, he looked like the guy we expect him to be. He looked like he was in charge. He located his pitches, induced ground balls, and didn’t get hit hard until his last inning. Most significant is that he walked just two batters and struck out seven on 89 pitches. Eleven of the outs he recorded were ground ball outs.

Of course he isn’t out of his funk yet. He still has to keep it going into his next start. If he continues progressing and can string together some strong starts, he may see Kansas City before the All-Star break.

But that’s getting ahead of everything. One start at a time.

In other pitching prospect news:

Montgomery wasn’t the only Royals prospect who threw a good game on Thursday.

In Wilmington, Yordano Ventura followed up Jason Adam‘s fine start for Wilmington with a good showing of his own. In five innings, he struck out nine batters, walking only one. He currently has a 16/7 K/BB ratio.

Noel Arguelles had two rough starts for Northwest Arkansas before tonight, but he threw 5.2 innings, giving up just one run. He walked none, but only struck out one and gave up nine hits. After the solid showing tonight, though, his ERA drops to 6.08 after 13.1 innings. He’s moving in the right direction at least.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed. 

Bret Saberhagen was drafted in the 19^th round, but performed so well in the minors that it only took him one year to get to the big league.  Albert Pujols was drafted in the 13^th round.  Dan Quisenberry wasn’t drafted at all and ended up leading the majors in saves five times.  (Can you believe that?)  All of these great players have something in common – they overcame relatively low expectations to become strong contributors in the major leagues.  You certainly know how much Sabes and Quiz have contributed to Royals history, and Pujols is already considered to be shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

Have you considered the possibility the Royals could have a few low expectation players who may breakout and surprise all of us by forcing their way to Kansas City?  It doesn’t happen very often, and you never know when it will occur, but when it does it’s one of the most exciting things about baseball.

Greg Billo's performance demands attention (Kane County Chronicle)

Consider Greg Billo.  Greg was selected in the 28^th round of the 2008 draft as a 170 pound high school kid.  He toiled through a couple of short and rather undistinguished seasons as a pitcher on three different rookie league teams.  Then, in 2011 on the Kane County Cougers (A Team), he blossomed with an absurd 1.93 ERA, 119 strikeouts to 25 walks, and HR/9 of 0.4.  His SO/9 rate dropped a bit from 2010, but all his other metrics look strong for the pitcher many consider to have the best control in the Royals organization.

Billo has been a professional for 4 years now and he’s still learning and growing and adapting and making himself a better pitcher each season.  “I learned to keep the ball down (last year) and that was a big help for me,” said Billo, “and being able to throw my off-speed pitches for strikes made it so much easier to pitch.”  Billo also credits his improvement in 2011 to “a few mechanical changes and a lot of little tweaks,” made under the watchful eye and guidance of Cougars pitching coach Jim Brower.

Do you know who else pitched for the Kane County Cougars last year?  Yordano Ventura, considered to be about the 10^th best prospect in the Royals organization also started for Kane County.  Who do you think was the # 1 pitcher for the Cougars last year?  Well, it wasn’t Yordano.  Now I’m not saying Billo is going to end up as a better pitcher than Ventura and his 100 mph fastball or that he has more upside, or anything of the sort.  Yordano is a year younger with tons of potential and we all have very high hopes for him.  But, I am saying we shouldn’t count Billo out.  His improvement has been so great over the past year that I’m not sure any of us can possibly know for certain what his future holds.

Greg doesn’t have blazing stuff like many other Royals pitchers, but what he does possess is intelligence, and saavy, and a willingness to listen to the guidance of his coaches and commit to doing what is necessary to be successful.  Billo identifies Greg Maddux as a pitcher he’d like to emulate (not a bad choice) and if everything goes as planned, he expects to be pitching for the Naturals by mid-season of 2012.

MLB.com ran an article after the 2011 season and listed the minor league players for each club who had the best season by position.  They recognized Greg Billo as the right handed starting pitcher who had the best season of all Royals minor leaguers.  This includes a few names you might recognize in addition to Yordana Ventura.  Have you heard of Jake Odorizzi?  How about Luis Mendoza?  Billo impressed MLB last year, and if he impressed them, well…  the rest of us should probably be impressed too.

The Royals minor league system is full of outstanding talent that we may or may not eventually see in Kansas City.  Some of these guys will flame out, some will ultimately have a great future in the majors, and some could end up as trade bait for the Royals to attain some missing pieces.  As you know, one of the pieces the Royals are missing right now is a strong right handed starting pitcher.  Billo isn’t ready for this responsibility right now, but I think it’s safe to assume the Royals will have a similar need in the coming seasons.  I suggest we root for Greg Billo to continue to improve and force the Royals brass to consider him as a future candidate for this job.  Just ask Dan Quisenberry, you never know where impressive talent will come from.

The Royalman Report, LIVE Sunday at 7 p.m. CST

After a couple of weeks with Troy Olsen out and about, we have a full house again in the Royalman Report studio. Joining myself, Troy, Chris Kamler and Jeff Herr will be Nathaniel Stoltz from FanSided‘s minor league baseball site Seedlings to Stars.

Nathaniel has been doing a top 100 prospects countdown, and many of them have been from the Royals organization. Check out his reports below:

• #90: John Lamb
• #84: Mike Montgomery
• #68: Cheslor Cuthbert
• #57: Yordano Ventura
• #52: Bubba Starling
• #32: Jake Odorizzi

We’ll also cover the winter meetings, trade rumors and other Royals news.

As always, we’ll have our chat room up during the broadcast for any questions and comments and whatever discussion arises. You can also call 1-816-394-9578 and leave a voicemail or join in during the broadcast

The Royalman Report is brought to you by Kelly’s Westport Inn at 500 Westport Road in Kansas City, Missouri.  Tell them the Royalman Report sent you.

Live video feed is after the jump:

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In 2011, the two started to separate.

We’ve already discussed Yambati’s disastrous 2011 season. Ventura fared much better in low A Kane County this year.

At 5’11″ and maybe 180 pounds (if he’s lucky), Ventura wouldn’t seem intimidating. Yet, despite his smaller stature, he gets his fastball up into the mid-90s and he’s made strides with his changeup and curveball after instructional league work and through 2011.

There are whispers of comparisons to Pedro Martinez, fair or unfair. Ventura’s height has something to do with that, but he also has a consistent delivery according to scouts and has a similar arm slot to Pedro. Still, there’s work to do. Players don’t make it on comps alone.

Clipped from: kingsofkauffman.com (share this clip)

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Thursday, all three were in action again, hoping to climb a step closer to their league’s championship.

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Rankings:
~ Baseball America #12
~ Royals Prospects: #18
~ Royals Review #14
~ Kevin Goldstein: #13
~ John Sickels #27 C+

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Rankings:
~ Baseball America #16
~ Royals Prospects: #26
~ Royals Review #18
~ Kevin Goldstein: #11
~ John Sickels #26 C+
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We knew that was coming back around July.

But Jim Callis responded to an interesting question, and his answer was surprising. Not in a bad way but more in that “Wow. I…can’t believe I hadn’t noticed that before” way.

First, the question itself:

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Crediting a “willingness to spend large amounts of money in the draft and a solid player-development system” the Royals enjoy the deepest and most talented minor league system in baseball.  This distinction was one that Royals fans who follow the minors has been expecting since somewhere around May or June, but the validation feels good, doesn’t it?

In what must have been a difficult decision, Eric Hosmer was selected as the top prospect in the Royals system.
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Baseball America is running down their lists of top 20 prospects within individual MiLB leagues.  Not surprisingly, the Royals are being well represented.
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